There are ten plagues read on Passover, foisted upon the Egyptian people as Moses asks Pharaoh to “let my people go.” The plagues run a gamut of nasty things, from turning the Nile River to blood, to locusts, to boils. The tenth and final plague is the slaying of the Egyptian first born. When Jews recite the ten plagues, they spill a drop of wine for each one, to symbolize their loss of joy in response to the suffering of others.
Though nominally beneath Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah (the day of atonement and Jewish new year, respectively) in terms of religious significance, Passover in a very real sense represents the climax of the Jewish biblical narrative, both telling of our enslavement in Egypt and our redemption by God. This narrative of oppression and freedom is perhaps the crucial influence on Jewish social and political thought, and occupies a central place in the religion. It is nearly impossible to conceptualize a Jewish “world” without the Passover story.
Yet, this year, I almost decided I could not ethically celebrate the holiday.